You may know Italy for good food and wonderful landscapes, but it has a dark side, too.

Halloween is just around the corner and we would like to help you get into the ghoulish feeling during this magical night by telling you about some spooky places in the boot-shaped country.

If you’ve ever found yourself wondering, “What are the most haunted places in Italy?” We have rounded up 5 of them, listed from the least to the scariest place.

From North to South, we have a cemetery, an abandoned village, a haunted park, a former hospital and catacombs.

The monumental Cemetery in Milan, Lombardy

The monumental Cemetery in Milan, Lombardy

In our tour to the perfect spectral places to spend Halloween in Italy, how could we not begin from a cemetery?

And this is the greatest cemetery of all, the Monumental Cemetery in Milan. It is an extraordinarily large cemetery located in the city centre where many renowned Italian and international personalities repose, including the Italian writer Alessandro Manzoni and important musicians, such as Giuseppe Verdi, Arturo Toscanini or the singer Giorgio Gaber just to name a few.

The cemetery has also a Jewish section and a special section for those who do not belong to the Catholic religion.

A must see if you’re in town!

The ghost town of Craco, Basilicata

The ghost town of Craco, Basilicata

Perched on a small hill at the foot of the Apennines, Craco is a real ghost town.

It is situated in Basilicata, halfway between the sea and the mountains, more than 20 km from the nearest town.

The village has been gradually abandoned after a landslide in the sixties and then completely after a earthquake in 1980. Now it can only be visited if accompanied by an authorised guide.

Its haunted and surreal atmosphere has been used as the set for several movies like “Quantum of Solace” or “The Passion of the Christ”.

The park of the monsters in Bomarzo, Lazio

The park of the monsters in Bomarzo, Lazio

Just one hour from Rome you will find the Park of Bomarzo, also known as the Park of the Monsters for its bizarre and fascinating sculptures.

It’s a 3ha forest inhabited by huge mythological animals, gods and monsters. It was designed by the architect Pirro Ligorio, commissioned by Vicino Orsini after the death of his wife.

However the park is not only filled with weird statues, it is also the protagonist of some spooky legends. One says that the garden is haunted by the Orsini family. 

Others say that there is an altar within the park where Mr Orsini made sacrifices and the ghosts of the victims can be seen wandering in the park.

Truth is, historians still can’t understand the meaning and the purpose of the park and its mysterious inhabitants.

The island of Poveglia, Veneto

Poveglia is a small island in the Venetian lagoon that was used as a leper hospital in 1700. People suffering from the plague were left and then buried there.

After that in 1922 it became a psychiatric hospital. A doctor was apparently torturing his patients with experimental treatments. He went crazy and killed himself later by jumping from a window.

People think the island is haunted still today by the people who died there and some visitors reported hearing cries and screams.

You can visit the island through private boat tours.

Capuchin Catacombs in Palermo, Sicily

Capuchin Catacombs in Palermo, Sicily

The Capuchin Catacombs can be found in Palermo in the church of Santa Maria della Pace.

The Catacombs were originally built for the monks of the order, but then others were permitted to be concealed there. They were embalmed, so only the richest families could afford the procedure. The result is 8000 corpses paneling the walls, divided in male or women corridors or entire families, all elegantly dressed.

Walk along the tunnels if you’re willing to take things one step further and truly test the limit of your bravery.

Have you ever visited one of these places?